Insight into life at Surrey from three current Middle Eastern students

Things to Do in Guildford – Part I

Lots of people say that Guildford is a small town so life here is really boring and there’s nothing to do, but today I will convince you otherwise. Of course, this depends on what you personally like to do. I’ll just tell you about some of the things Guildford offers and then you can decide for yourself.

Guildford is rather famous for its shopping and we have a really packed High Street (that’s what the main shopping street in a town is called in England). With all the shops on the High Street plus the medium-sized shopping centre (called the Friary Centre) that we have, not to mention all the shops in the side alleys and small streets, you’d have to be an extremely avid shopper to run out of places to go. The only unfortunate thing is that our high street is a kind of a steep climb, rather than a flat straight road like it is almost everywhere else, but it’ll keep you fit so there is an upside.

While we only have one cinema in town, it is very close to the university and there many ways to get cheap tickets. I for one love movies and I’ve already seen La La Land, Arrival and Jackie this year (I’m very excited about the Oscars on Sunday). New movies are constantly being released of course, so going for a film every few days is another fun activity.

Another great thing Guildford has is a leisure centre, called Spectrum. It’s not exactly close to the university or the town centre, but it’s not too far either, and you can get a bus from town. There you will find lots of things that can be found in Surrey Sports Park, such as a gym and a swimming pool, but there is also an ice-skating rink and bowling. I’ve only tried ice-skating once but I really enjoyed it and I’m hoping to go again soon. Another plus is that it’s not too expensive, about the same price as a movie ticket. What’s great about this is the fact that you won’t find ice-skating just about anywhere in the UK; even some big cities don’t have it, so Guildford is somewhat privileged in that regard. We also have a place called AirHop, which is basically a big space full of trampolines. Going there with a large group of friends is one of the most fun things you can do. It’ll really make you feel like a kid again.

If you’re a nature lover, like me, Guildford will be like heaven for you. The town is surrounded by beautiful, untouched hills and nature trails. While getting to them is a bit exhausting, the views are definitely worth it. Sadly, because of the UK weather, you can’t go any day. It needs to be sunny, dry (not just on the day but for a few days before as well so any mud would have dried up) and not too cold if you really want to enjoy it. Frankly, you don’t get these conditions too often in the UK so when you do, it’s good to take advantage.

I still have lots to tell you about but I don’t want to make this post too long, so I’ll leave the rest till next week. That should give you something to look forward to. I’ll be talking about music and theatre, pubs and clubs, and food.

P. S. I was going to have some pictures, but there were some technical issues, so you’ll get those next week as well.